Making Buying Easy: Lessons from a Home Improvement Store

Imagine this…

You make your way to your favorite home improvement store, excited to purchase a grill for Memorial Day. With the ads studied in advance, you have a clear idea of the grill you want.

Outside the store, you find an abundance of pre-assembled grills, including your pre-chosen one. However, hang tags are conspicuously absent, leaving only the prominently displayed prices. Undeterred, you venture into the store and just outside the entrance, a thrilling sight awaits! A better grill with more features, additional cooking space, and, to your amazement, priced exactly within your budget!

Your excitement peaks, and you set off in search of an associate to seal the deal. But finding a helpful staff member proves to be a task in itself. Eventually, you resort to heading to the checkout counter, hoping for assistance.

Finally, you engage an associate, only to be met with the question: “Which grill? What’s the item number?”

Take a moment to reflect on this journey. The grills are on display, and prices are visible, but there’s a crucial element missing—the item number.

Does the associate offer to help find the number? Unfortunately not. Instead, you find yourself backtracking in search of the elusive item number, but luck eludes you. Does the associate step up now? Sadly, their assistance extends only as far as “googling” the item.

“Is it this one?” the associate asks.

If you’ve ever been in my shoes, you can probably sense the impatience creeping in.

This mishap at the home improvement store is just one of the frustrations I encountered on the road to spending my hard-earned money.

Did I manage to buy a grill? Yes, but I can confidently say that I earned the sale myself. In today’s self-service world, the responsibility falls on us to navigate the purchasing process.

The valuable lesson learned is crystal clear: Make it easy for people to buy from you!

Even in this self-service retail landscape, it’s still possible to drive more sales by equipping customers with the necessary tools to make their purchases. Imagine if the store had displayed item numbers, provided pull tags for the register, and shockingly, showcased grilling tools and accessories right next to the grills.

Had it not been for the exceptional value I discovered, surpassing that of my initial choice, frustration might have driven me away. Thankfully, I persevered and walked away with one thing—the grill.